In the prior art there obtain submersible mixers and means for supporting them in tanks or reservoirs of liquid. Exemplary thereof is the arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,175, issued on Aug. 18, 1987, to Balint Szendroi, et al, for an Attaching Device. The latter discloses a mast system which is emplaced in the tank or reservoir, and to which the mixer is attached. The mixer can be articulated, relative to the mast system, and caused to translate therealong as well. The same is very versatile, and equal to substantially any fluid agitating requirement. There are fluid mixing needs, however, which do not warrent the expense and sophistication of such mixer/mast systems. Adequate for such needs would be a submersible mixer which can be supported in a frame and lowered into the tank or reservoir by means of a tethering cable, or the like, of simple structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,272, issued to Richard B. Ravitts, on Dec. 24, 1974, sets forth a floating mixer. The same does not accommodate for the submersion of the mixer wholly with tank- or reservoir-confined liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,279, issued on Oct. 18, 1983 to Michael Howden, et al, for an Apparatus for Agitating the Contents of Storage Tanks; U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,424, for an Underwater Sand Pump, issued to Toshinobu Araoka, on Jun. 26, 1984; and the U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,221, issued on May 24, 1988, to Katsuji Okumura, for a Stirrer for Use in Liquid Storage Tanks all set forth submersible agitators for liquids which are tetherable. However, the mixer or agitator housings and allied structures thereof are quite complex, and likely to be as expensive as the aforesaid mixer/mast system, if not more expensive.
What has been an unmet need is for a simple, inexpensive and versatile tetherable frame for a submersible mixer, and an available package of such a frame and mixer replaceably mounted thereto.
It is an object of this invention to set forth just such a simple, inexpensive frame, which is versatile and tetherable, for supporting a submersible mixer thereon, and a combination of such a frame with a submersible mixer mounted thereto.
Particularly it is an object of this invention to set forth a tetherable frame for a submersible mixer, comprising elongate limb means for mounting a submersible mixer thereto; wherein said limb means has, at one end thereof, tether-attaching means and, at the opposite end thereof, a base, and means, intermediate said base and said attaching means, means for removably fastening a submersible mixer thereto.
It is also an object of this invention to set forth, in combination, a submersible mixer and a tetherable frame therefor, comprising a base; and a plurality of spaced-apart, parallel and elongate limbs; wherein each of said limbs is joined, at one end thereof, to said base; tether-attaching means coupled to the opposite ends of a pair of said limbs; and a submersible mixer removably fastened to said limbs intermediate said base and said attaching means.